


A Wild Fox Chase

by sonyathefairy



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: M/M, Moderate amount of angst, Neil is a Little Shit, andreil shenanigans in the dream world, neil is very bad at flirting, psychic!neil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-08-28 15:53:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16726398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonyathefairy/pseuds/sonyathefairy
Summary: As soon as they entered he was enveloped in the smell of incense, curtains and beads arranged in such a way that everything looked like a maze.“Through here,” a voice called from somewhere behind the beads on Andrew’s right.They headed towards the source of the words and emerged into a spacious room filled with crystals, herbs and numerous other objects Andrew couldn’t identify.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!! Damn, it sure has been a while since I wrote anything so I hope this is at least half good lol. This idea has been sitting in my drafts for a long time and so I decided to finally give it a go. Enjoy this mess!

Andrew couldn't say he was even remotely interested in anything that had to do with the supernatural. But, when Renee, with her belief in God and all that seemed hell bent on telling him all about her new job at a small psychic parlor he had to admit he was intrigued. Still, after hearing her out Andrew thought it was all a bunch of bullshit, considering magic didn't exist. When he told this to Renee she only smiled and shook her head.

“It isn’t magic, Andrew. It’s more like being able to distinguish the difference between our world and the one of the dead.”

“And doesn’t whatever it is that a psychic does contradict what your beliefs dictate?”

“I believe the psychic world is deeply intertwined with religion, and don’t forget that there were prophets in the Bible. Even though tarot is a little different, they share the same foundation.”

Andrew nodded slowly, seeing her point, but also getting disinterested in the subject. Renee had her beliefs and he had his. He wasn’t going to judge her based on that, but he did wish -as much as Andrew Minyard wished- that she would change the subject.

“You know,” Renee’s tone turned sly and Andrew didn’t like it one bit, “I think you’d actually be interested in the guy who owns the place.”

Andrew cocked one eyebrow in a silent question. “Is that so?”

“I guess you’ll have to come by sometime and find out for yourself.” With that she got up and left him alone on the roof of their dorms.

It was normal for them to slip up there after their sparring sessions or whenever Andrew felt like talking. Renee was one of the very few people he could trust and he didn’t hate spending his time with. He knew there were running bets on whether or not they were dating, but Andrew couldn’t find it in himself to give two shits about what the rest of the world thought about him. Andrew wouldn’t be wasting his breath trying to prove anyone wrong.

~

Friday rolled around, and with it came a visit to Columbia, where the Monsters attempted to drown all their sorrows in alcohol. It was their futile attempt at trying to forget all their problems by drinking them away.  As per usual the car ride there was filled with Nicky's endless chatter, only interrupted by Aaron's one worded replies here and there. Andrew tuned them out for the most part, until Nicky mentioned Renee’s new job.

“Oh my god, you should see the guy that owns the place, he’s such a cutie. We should go there and get a reading together, it’d be so awesome. Andrew, could we go tomorrow?”

“No.” He wasn’t going to indulge Nicky and he sure as fuck wasn’t going to get scammed by some so-called psychic.

“Come ooooon, it’s not gonna hurt and you don’t even have to do it if you don’t want to, you could just watch us, and-” Nicky rambled on trying to convince Andrew to go.

“Fine. I’ll think about it.” Andrew finally snapped, just so Nicky would shut up.

The next day, Nicky was back on Andrew’s back about it and despite only meaning to shut him up, Andrew did think about the possibility of going to the psychic parlor.

“We’re leaving in ten. If you’re not ready by then, you can say goodbye to ever seeing me anywhere near that damn place.” Andrew ignored the shining grin and the way too happy ‘thank you’ Nicky offered him and went into his room to change as well.

~

The place wasn’t exactly hard to spot with its numerous neon lights and sparkly shit in its windows. Andrew decided he already hated it.

As soon as they entered he was enveloped in the smell of incense, curtains and beads arranged in such a way that everything looked like a maze.

“Through here,” a voice called from somewhere behind the beads on Andrew’s right.They headed towards the source of the words and emerged into a spacious room filled with crystals, herbs and numerous other objects Andrew couldn’t identify.

In the middle of the room was a round table that the guy working there -the owner, Andrew presumed- was seated at. Recognition flashed through the stranger’s eyes -there and then gone- at the sight of Kevin and that was definitely  _ interesting _ . . . He would have to figure that out later.

“Sit down,” the stranger urged them and there was something almost hypnotic in his voice. Something told Andrew that he wouldn’t’ve been able to refuse even if he wanted to. Andrew had to give it to Nicky, the guy was indeed attractive: piercing blue eyes accentuated by flaming red hair and cheekbones sharper than Andrew’s knives. Another notable detail were the vicious scars scattered on top of said cheekbones that made even more questions pop up in Andrew’s mind.

“So, what are you here for?” Andrew let Nicky respond, opting to try and read the stranger instead. He seemed calm enough, but Andrew could see that he wasn’t comfortable in their presence.

“A tarot reading. One for the each of us.” Nicky grinned, and the man simply stared back at him before responding.

“Whoever wants to go first stay here, the rest of you please go wait in the waiting area to my right.” Andrew tensed at the word ‘please’, but did as he was told while Nicky went first.

Andrew was the last one to get his reading, in the meantime inspecting the weird things the ‘psychic’ put in the room Andrew was in.

Soon, it was his turn, a clearly shaken Kevin walking by him on his way to the reading room. As he entered, he inquisitively looked at the guy.

“Some people simply don’t cope well with the truth,” the man explained with a shrug, as if reading Andrew’s mind.

“We’ll see about that.” With that, Andrew sat down opposite him, waiting for whatever he got himself into to start. When the guy only stood there studying him like he was the most interesting thing in the world, Andrew spoke up.

“Well? Aren’t you going to start whatever mambo-jambo I’m paying you to do?” The stranger glowered at him, but picked up the tarot deck.

“What kind of reading do you want?”

“You’re the psychic here, you choose.” Andrew decided that it was quite fun riling this guy up.

“Fine,  _ asshole _ .” Andrew supressed a smirk at the retort and simply waited.

He watched as the guy started shuffling the deck with practiced fingers, an intense look in his eyes. When he was done, he made Andrew cut the deck and then proceeded to lay down the cards in a weird pattern. Andrew noticed that some were upright while others were upside-down and he wondered if it made any difference. If he hadn’t been looking closely, he wouldn’t have noticed the strange look the guy gave the cards before shaking it off and telling Andrew the interpretation.

“Since you let me choose, I decided to do a love reading,” the little shit was pretty smug about it, as if sensing that this was the thing Andrew cared about the least. “You’re going to meet someone soon, a hopeless case and a runaway that might just stop running for you.” That was just amazing, wasn’t it. When Andrew didn’t say anything, he pulled another card and continued.

“Surprisingly, it won’t end up in flames.” The guy got a distant look on his face before focusing back on Andrew. He took that as his cue to leave and the attractive enigma followed suit. They paid way more than Andrew was expecting,further cementing his belief that this was all a scam and, as they were turning to leave, the man spoke up.

“See you later, Andrew.” Which was weird since they hadn’t introduced themselves, but he thought perhaps Nicky had told the guy about him. And yet, Andrew had a nagging feeling that wasn’t the case. The man was a mystery wrapped in a riddle that Andrew would eventually solve.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all so much for all the love on the first chapter! It was honestly overwhelming, I didn't expect it at all!! Anyways, here is chapter 2. I hope you enjoy it!!

_ Andrew was smoking in the backyard of the Columbia house when he heard a noise to his right. He flicked his unfinished cigarette away and drew one of his knives out, because if anyone came for him and his, he’d be prepared. Someone rounded the corner and Andrew was on them before they realized what was happening. Knife to his throat, the psychic guy from the parlor  _ smiled _. It was beyond Andrew how the weird stranger could smile at him given the current situation, but he tossed that question away in favor of the obvious one. _

_ “What the fuck are you doing here?” Andrew pushed the stranger harshly into the side of the house, but he didn’t so much as blink. _

_ “Paying you a visit.” As if it should’ve been obvious. _

_ “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t slit your throat right now.” Andrew was so done with this situation. _

_ “You can’t actually do anything to me.” The guy sounded so very sure of that, didn’t he? _

_ “And why’s that?” Andrew pressed the knife a little harder, meaning to draw blood, but nothing happened. _

_ “Guess you’ll find out soon.” With that, he disappeared like he hadn’t been there at all. _

~

Andrew woke up with a start. It had all been a dream. But how? Andrew’s dreams have never felt like this one. Most of them were nightmares and the few that weren’t had been... different. This one felt so real that a chill ran down Andrew’s spine. That strange man was plaguing his dreams and he didn’t even know his  _ name _ . It was unsettling. Andrew didn’t like it one bit.

Kevin’s alarm stopped his train of thought and he grumbled, getting up and ready for another day of hearing Kevin’s screams from across the court.

~

Practice went as always: laps with Renee, uncoordinated scrimagges and Kevin yelling that none of them were trying hard enough. Andrew’s life was as normal as it could be -considering that he was a Minyard after all, and their lives were never normal- except for the weird dreams, starring a blue-eyed boy with a clear death wish.

Kevin was currently having another hissy fit over the fact that Andrew had done nothing to actually protect the goal, throwing the same arguments over and over and clearly not understanding the fact that Andrew couldn’t care less for the sport. He’d been holding his end of the deal, while Kevin was doing absolutely nothing to hold his. Kevin has yet to give Andrew a reason to play Exy and his patience is running thin. He’d deal with Kevin later, though. Now he had other pressing matters to tend to.

Renee was already waiting for him on the roof when he arrived, having taken longer than usual in the changing room, because of one ungrateful idiot.

He was starting his second cigarette when Renee spoke up.

“So?” The underlying meaning wasn’t lost on Andrew. He knew exactly what Renee was referring to, but he decided to play dumb.

“So?” He raised one eyebrow, the only clear sign of amusement on his face.

“I heard you went to Neil’s parlor,” she said with a small smile on her lips. Neil, Neil,  _ Neil  _ . . . it sounded like a truth and a lie all wrapped up together.

“Nicky talks way too much for his own good.” He wasn’t going provide any details unless asked and Renee knew that. That’s why he anticipated her next question, curiosity dripping from her tongue.

“What did you think about him?” Her smile turned playful then.

“He’s a pretty enigma with a death wish.” He pondered on asking Renee about the dream, the stranger’s -Neil’s- words playing on a loop in his brain. He finally decided against it, figuring that  _ if  _ and only if it happened again, he’d ask Renee then.

After a few more prodding questions from Renee, the conversation drifted from topic to topic, ranging from apocalypse plans to what the perfect murder would look like.

Renee left some time later, leaving Andrew alone with his thoughts. Despite his best efforts, the dream and the man attached to it, who now had a name, kept plaguing him. He couldn’t figure out if he simply imagined it all or if something bigger was at play. His skepticism told him the former, but a small part of his mind whispered the latter.

Andrew also couldn’t quite figure out what had happened between the psychic guy, Neil, he reminded himself, and Kevin. Whatever it was, it hadn’t been good, judging by the expression Kevin had after emerging from his reading.

The possibility of Kevin being in danger because of the strange man they visited unsettled Andrew, and he’d have to confront him about his conversation with Kevin as soon as possible (before he became a bigger problem than he already was).

~

_ Andrew didn’t know what to expect when he entered the psychic parlor again. Everything looked familiar, yet there was definitely something different in the air. He couldn’t tell if it was just the illusion of curtains and beads hanging from every wall and in every direction or if he just didn’t pay that much attention to his surroundings during his first visit. _

_ He found himself in the reading room yet again, a grinning idiot waiting for him there. He sat down, not knowing what to expect from the strange man opposite him. _

_ “We meet again, it seems. Maybe third time’s the charm, considering our last two encounters didn’t go so well.” _

_ “Third?” Andrew only remembers being here once. Either the guy doesn’t know how to count or Andrew is going insane (more insane than he already was, that is). _

_ “If you count your last dream, then yes, three. I must say I’m a little hurt you don’t remember. What with your eidetic memory and all that.” He propped his face on his hands and gave Andrew an assessing look. _

_ “And let me guess, this is also a dream. And you can somehow get into my brain.” It sounded even more ridiculous after Andrew said it out loud. _

_ "Yes, it is and yes, I can,” The guy seemed to be telling the truth, no sign that it all might be a joke on his face. Andrew was definitely going insane. “Hmm, I just realized. I never introduced myself. I’m Neil Josten, owner of this parlor and soon to be owner of your heart.” The guy winked, he fucking winked, and Andrew was so done. “And you are Andrew Minyard. . .” _

_ “And how would you know that?” _

_ “Because I’m a psychic.” _

_ “Oh, of course. Pardon me for not thinking of such an obvious answer.” With a sneer, Andrew got up and left. He wasn’t going to listen to this- this  _ pipe dream  _ spew bullshit at him. The guy -Neil- giggled behind Andrew and that was the last thing he heard before he headed out. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a question for you. So, the first 5 chapters are already done, and I don't know how I should post them. Would you like it better if I put them all out at the same time or if I waited a day or two between them? Lemme know in the comments!  
> Also, after I post the first 5 I hope to post a new chapter every week (finger's crossed tho!)  
> You can find me on tumblr @sonyathefairy for any questions or requests!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get to see Neil's pov this chapter and we meet a new fox...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I was thinking about posting this chapter tomorrow, but I realised I won't have time then, so here it is earlier! Chapter 4 should be up on thursday and ch 5 sometime this weekend. After that I can't promise a precise posting schedule as my finals are coming up, but I shall do my best!
> 
> Enjoy!

Neil had been in the small town of Millport, Arizona for a full year when his past finally caught up with him. Even though he sensed it coming, he hadn’t been able to do anything about it. His visions became worse and worse, until, finally, judgement day arrived in the form of a malicious grin, wrapped in expensive clothes and accessorized with blood-red nails. Lola looked just like Neil remembered her, a few more wrinkles here and there the only sign that time had passed.

“Hello, Junior,” she said, her smile sharper than any of his father’s knives. Neil was gone, gone, gone . . . and Nathaniel took his place.

That is, until his uncle came and with him, his father’s death. He was free, he was free, he was- . Rough hands guided him into an ambulance, FBI agents swarming around him like bees to freshly bloomed flowers. For his cooperation, he’d be set free, put into a witness protection program, he could change his name if that was what he wished, they said. So he talked, and talked, and talked. And they kept their word. He was officially and legally Neil Abram Josten, for however long he’d want. They gave him a small apartment in Columbia and, as a last favor, bought him the space below it, which he transformed into a psychic parlor.

He didn’t know if that was the smartest of ideas, considering his past, but he wasn’t exactly one to make smart choices. He had opened the parlor for a little more than six months when a strange girl with bleached hair with rainbow tips asked him if he was willing to hire her. His first instinct had been to say no, especially considering the dark past she carried with her, but if he learned anything from befriending his overly happy neighbour Matt, it was that not everyone wanted his head on a pyke. So, he said yes.

She was able to attract more clients than he ever had before and they liked her a lot, so all in all, it seemed like Neil had made a smart decision for the first time in his life.

And then, Andrew came into his shop, with a fragment of Neil’s past in tow and Neil’s mind told him to run, run, run. But he stayed, and oh, what an incredible conversation did he have with Kevin Day. At least he had some fun annoying Andrew.

The love reading was meant as a joke, something he could irritate Andrew with, but when the interpretation hit too close to home, he didn’t know what to do. Surely, there must be some other hopeless runaway that Andrew was gonna fall for. It just couldn’t be  _ Neil _ .

~

Neil hadn’t meant to end up in Andrew’s dream, not really. Of course, Andrew had been on his mind all day, what with the reading and all, but he told himself it was nothing. Neil was not one to obsess over people. Not like this.

So, really, it was only half a surprise when he rounded the corner of the house, only to find himself pinned to it by a fuming Andrew, knife to Neil’s throat. Neil didn’t know what exactly possessed him to smile, but he did it anyway. And when he was asked about his reasons to be “here”, wherever “here” was, he answered with the most obvious thing that came to mind. Andrew didn’t like that, if his threat was anything to go by, so Neil let himself float back to his apartment. He had been preparing for his morning run. He tugged on his running shoes and went on with his day.

~

The second time he ended up in Andrew’s dreams, it had been intentional. He decided that if Andrew was plaguing his thoughts, he might as well plague Andrew’s as well. Seemed fair enough. Neil altered the background so they’d be in his shop when Andrew arrived, the familiar territory making him feel more at ease.

His streak of stupid decisions returned when decided to add “soon to be owner of your heart” to his description. It was supposed to get a rise out of Andrew, but he could tell he made a mistake when Andrew didn’t so much as blink at the words. Neil knew Andrew wasn’t going to let that loose end go. He’d just have to think of a convincing lie by then.

~

Neil was hanging out with Matt when something occurred to him.

“Hey, Matt?”

“Yeah, buddy?” Matt was nothing but a ray of sunshine to him and Neil didn’t know what he’d done to deserve that. He still felt a little weird at the prospect of letting Matt in and telling him things about his life, but he was slowly getting there.

“Do you happen to know an Andrew Minyard?” He knew that Matt’s girlfriend was on the Exy team at PSU and he thought perhaps Andrew attended it as well. (Maybe even played, considering he was with Kevin when they went to him for their reading). Matt all but spilled his drink at that question, a quizzical look on his face.

“How do you know that guy? Dan keeps complaining about how he refuses to play even though he’s apparently really good at it.”

“Oh...” That explained why he was with Kevin, then.

“Why do you ask?”

“Oh, well, he and his little ‘gang’ came to my parlor earlier this week for a reading. There’s something different about him that I can’t quite put my finger on.” Matt snorted at that, not impressed by Neil’s description.

“The only thing that’s ‘different’ about him is that he’s a sociopath, if what Dan is saying is true. She saw him threaten his own  _ cousin  _ with knives on multiple occasions. You should try to avoid him”  _ Too late for that _ , Neil thought.

He knew Matt was only trying to look out for him, but his words did not sit well with Neil. He could tell Andrew wasn’t a sociopath, but he could see why people would think he was.

~

Neil knew Renee attended PSU as well and that she was on the Exy team. That’s why she came by the shop sporadically. Neil didn’t mind it that much. It wasn’t like he was a conventional boss running a conventional business, he was simply doing the only thing he was good at (other than running). He hadn’t expected to actually like Renee, but he had to admit that she was growing on him. He still felt uneasy around her, but it was a slow fading thing.

They started having chats on days when clients were few and far inbetween and Neil learned about her past self, and the way she shaped herself into the person she was now.

In exchange of her honesty, Neil provided some truths of his own. It didn’t feel right to learn all about Renee and not give something in return. She didn’t try to apologise for the things that happened to him and she didn’t show him pity either, which Neil was highly grateful for.

Neil would have to mention Andrew to Renee the next time he saw her. . .

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! You can find me on tumblr @sonyathefairy if you have any questions or requests!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is ch 4, as promised! Unfortunately, though, I don't know when the next chapters will be up. Since ch 5 is already done, i'll probably post it this weekend, but I don't know about the ones after that. The next two weeks are full of tests and finals so wish me luck! Alas, I'm gonna try to post at least one more chapter in the span of the next two weeks.

Andrew woke up in an incredibly bad mood. Which wasn’t saying much considering he was always in a bad mood, but last night’s dream had been especially annoying. Neil was there again and since he had decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and pretend whatever happened in the dreams was real, he had been ready to get some answers. That proved to be rather hard as Neil kept evading every one of Andrew’s questions. Right when Andrew had proposed a game of “truth for truth”, his alarm rang and the dream dissolved into emptiness. 

The encounter left him frustrated and rather uneasy. He needed to know what had gone down between the guy and Kevin, and Andrew Minyard didn’t need anything. Neil was getting on his nerves more and more and he had to do something about that sooner rather than later. As he was thinking, something occurred to him…

~

_ [3:09 pm] come to the roof in 5. we need to talk _

Kevin showed up late, but Andrew wasn’t surprised. If Kevin Day could avoid facing his problems, he was going to do it no matter the consequences. And in this case, the consequences were one pissed off Andrew waiting for him on the roof.

“What do you want?”

Andrew simply took a drag of his cigarette, already done with the conversation. Asking Kevin directly about the psychic guy may not had been Andrew’s best idea, but he knew he could get way more out of Kevin than Neil. He let the silence between them continue for two more seconds before stating:

“You know him, don’t you.” He didn’t need to flick his eyes to Kevin to sense his growing confusion, accompanied by a familiar frown.

“Who the fuck are you talking about?”

Again, Andrew didn’t reply right away. He was going to prolong Kevin’s misery for as long as possible. He met his gaze, which was getting angrier by the moment.

“That stupid  _ psychic.  _ What did he say to you?” Andrew spat the words like they were poison. He absolutely hated himself for doing this.

“What– he– nothing! Nothing important, anyways…” Kevin crossed his arms and shifted his eyes around. He was lying. Which was very, very bad.

“Liar,” Andrew wasn’t going to tolerate this. “Who is he, Kevin.”

“No one! I’m telling you, nothing happened!” He was getting fidgety.

Andrew got up, walked right by Kevin and was back inside in seconds. This had been a bad idea if he had ever heard one, and did nothing to alleviate his bad mood.

~

Neil went on his morning run later than usual. Mainly because he was busy with Andrew’s dream, but also because he had to redo the sigil work around the house. One could never be too careful. He made sure to cleanse the place as well. It kept the ghosts of his past at bay. Most of the time, anyway.

He had stopped to catch his breath after about seven miles, when he heard a cry from somewhere nearby. He listened closer and realised it was a lost cat. It looked wounded, so he decided on a whim to take it back home and treat it. He knew his way around medicinal plants and spells after a life on the run, if he did say so himself. He rushed back home and quickly put together an ointment to lather onto its various scratches. The cat didn’t particularly like it, but Neil held it still for as long as he could, then let it go. He poured it some water into a bowl before leaving to get some cat food.

On his way back, he bumped into Matt, who was heading out.

“Hi, Neil! How are you?” Matt was as excited as ever to see him.

“Fine. Went to buy some cat food.”

“Oh? Since when do you have a cat?”

“This morning. I found it while I was on my run, and I couldn’t just leave it there.” Neil was getting antsy. Even though he trusted Matt, he still wasn’t really comfortable doing small talk.

“Aww, that’s great! I gotta go now, or else I’ll be late for work, but I’ll see you tonight? I really want to meet your cat!”

“Sure.” Maybe Matt will help Neil name it, since it seemed that he was going to keep the cat after all.

~

Matt showed up at around 7 pm, all too eager to meet Neil’s cat. He also made sure to bring some to new movie to torture Neil with, as it had somehow become Matt’s duty to educate him on pop culture. Tonight’s movie had something to do with revenge and superheroes , and it had way more explosions than necessary. Neil didn’t particularly like it, but seeing that it made Matt happy, he was happy too. It was a strange thing, having a friend. Someone you could trust, someone who trusted you. It was unlike anything Neil had ever known and yet it felt so good. He really didn’t know what he’d done to deserve someone as compassionate and kind as Matt.

“You okay, buddy?”

“Hmm…? Yeah, I’m fine.” Matt’s voice had taken Neil out of his reverie. “Just thinking about something…”

“If you say so…” Matt seemed doubtful, but didn’t press him on the matter. He knew that some things were off limits and respected Neil’s boundaries.

“Anyways, have you thought of a name for the cat?”

“Not really, no. I was hoping you could help me. If you don’t get to see it today, you can at least name it.”

Matt lit up at that. “Of course! I’d love to help you! Hmm… let me see… How about… King Fluffkins?” He grinned from ear to ear and eagerly awaited Neil’s answer, like a child asking a parent for permission.

“I guess it works. The cat is pretty fluffy, after all.”

“Sweet!” Matt did a fist pump in the air. “You’re the best!”

The rest of the night was filled with happy chatter, and it left Neil as content as ever…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this and you can find me on tumblr @[sonyathefairy](http://sonyathefairy.tumblr.com/) for any questions and/or updates about the fic!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew gets some answers, finally.
> 
> Also, TW for this chapter, Andrew has a nightmare, but nothing explicit happens and some mild swearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is ch 5! Finally! I know I said I'd post it last weekend, but I just didn't have time and also I didn't like the first draft so rewrote part of it.   
> Anyways, I hope you like this and I'm sorry it's so short!

_A cat greeted Andrew as soon as he entered the shop –if you could even call it that– its curious eyes fixed on him, as if looking straight into his soul._

_“Fuck off,” muttered Andrew._

_“How rude, telling my cat to leave like that.”_

_Andrew whirled around, searching for the source of the voice. He knew it had been Neil, but the man was nowhere in sight._

_“Also, he has a name, you know? It’s King Fluffkins, but you may call him King.”_

_Andrew rolled his eyes at that and proceeded into the shop. He wasn’t in the mood for the psychic’s stupid games._

_“I’m not playing games! Just trying to educate you. Hmpf, how ungrateful.” Neil was seated at his usual place at the round table in the reading room._

_“Let me guess, you can read minds now too.” Andrew was so done with this already._

_“As a matter of fact, I can’t… “ The guy suddenly seemed deep in thought. The look on his face was eerily familiar and Andrew didn’t like it one bit._

_“Anyway, I presume you’re here for some answers, seeing that last time you weren’t so successful,” Neil smirked and Andrew wanted to wipe the expression off his face one way or another. “I’ve thought about your proposition, though... I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”_

_Andrew thought about that for a bit. He supposed he’d start with the most pressing._

_“How do you know Kevin?”_

_“He’s… an old friend of mine. Happy now?”_

_“Is that your question?” If he was going to be a little shit, Andrew would too._

_“Is that yours?” Neil raised an eyebrow, amusement written all over his face._

_Neil opened his mouth to say something else when the background suddenly dissolved into a dark room. Andrew recognized it instantly: it was his old bedroom, the one at Cass’s place, and he wasn’t alone._

_“Hello, AJ. It’s been a while.”_

_Cold hands pinned him down and he was falling, falling, falling…_

_~_

Andrew startled awake. It was 4:21 in the morning, but he knew he wouldn’t be getting any more sleep that night. He threw a jacket on, took his cigarettes, and made his way onto the roof. The night air was cold and refreshing against his burning face, which he was grateful for. He quickly lit up a cigarette, but was shaking too badly to hold it still enough. Andrew watched the burning tip fly from the roof and land on the pavement below. Bee had told him that focusing on one’s surroundings, especially after a nightmare, can be grounding, but the ground kept lurching forward as he stared and stared at it from atop the roof.

Soon enough, it was morning and with it came the hustle and bustle of everyone around the campus, as they made their way to class. The world kept moving, even in Andrew’s absence.  

~

Andrew had decided to skip practice that day, not that it particularly mattered. The Foxes were a rag-tag team at best and a downright dysfunctional one at worst. They had already said goodbye to the championships with their last loss, so the point of practice now seemed useless to Andrew. It also didn’t help that Day had been bitching about that ever since. He had put way too much hope in a shitty team and now that he saw their failure with his own eyes he was breaking down. Everything had to revolve around fucking exy, didn’t it? Andrew didn’t care either way, and he wasn’t going to start just because Kevin was moaning about it.

Not to mention that Kevin owed him some answers. Andrew wasn’t going to tolerate his lies for much longer and it would not look pretty when he finally snapped…

~

“Kevin, Kevin, Kevin… Feel like talking now?” Andrew cornered him in their room, glad that they were alone.

“Talk about what?” Kevin visibly swallowed, panic evident on his face.

“Oh, you know about what, Day. So stop playing fucking dumb and answer me,” Andrew should try to rein in his temper, damnit. He shouldn’t scare him off just yet. “Who’s that pretty psychic, hmm? And how does he know you?”

“I— well, see— he’s… an old friend…” Kevin stuttered out.

“Funny, that’s what he said too. Care to enlighten me as to how you two know each other?” Andrew’s grin just then was more of a twisted parody and he could tell it did the job, because Kevin got that look of his that told Andrew he was going to break.

With a sigh, Kevin combed a shaky hand through his hair and started talking. Apparently, Neil was the real deal, and his mother had been too. His father had worked for the Moriyamas until he was killed by the FBI a year earlier and _Nathaniel_ was placed into the witness protection program. Kevin had last seen him when he was eight and his mother took him to Kengo to test his psychic abilities. Apparently, after that she’d taken him and ran. Then, they met again when Andrew took everyone to the psychic’s parlor (which, in retrospect, sounds like a terrible idea to Andrew, considering everything).

~

After that, it had been weeks until Andrew saw Neil again, and he couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened to him, considering their last encounter and its abrupt ending… And Renee had been gone a lot as well, which piqued Andrew’s interest, to say the least. Just what were they up to? And how come Neil hadn’t contacted him yet? Andrew oddly missed their nightly conversations and he didn’t know what to do with that information. Maybe talking to Bee would help…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some questions are answered, but more arise. What could Neil be doing? And how exactly is Renee involved? We shall see...

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh, I hope you liked this first chapter and thank you so much for reading! You can find me on tumblr @sonyathefairy for any questions or requests!


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